Samuel d



J lUNiTED STATEs PATENT OEEICEQ SAMUEL D. LOUNT, oF PHtENlX, ARIzoNA TERRITORY.

MANUFAGTURE oF ICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 259,697, dated June 20, 1882.

Application filed December 1i), 1881. (No vmodel.) Y

To all Iwhom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL D. LOUNT, of`V Phoenix, in Maricopa county, and Territory of Arizona, have invented new and useful 1mprovements in the Manufacture of Ice, which are fully set forth inthe following specifica tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhichwalls.

, Figure l is a longitudinal and Fig. 2 a cross section of my freezingtank and congealer; and Fig. 3, .an enlargedview of one of the parting-tubes used to 'separate the ice from the congealer, and also of the pipe used for introducing a stream of water into the partends being attached to joist which run across the top of the tank. v

F is an agitator placed in the bottom of the freezing-tank below the congealer,l and also below the blocks of ice which are formed upon it'. This agitator isoperated by an upright shaft which'passes through the top of tank A.

L L are low partitions, extending across the bottom of tank A near each end, thus forming receptacles O O for catching the solid impurties which are suspended in the water to be frozen.

e e e e are sheet-metal tubes, closed at the lower end, which are suspended across the congealer-pipes by hooks attached to the upper end. The 4peints ot' these hooks are bent down and rest on the top of the removable bars a a a a. These bars are over the coils of the congealer and parallel with themand the tubes e e e c are supported 'by them in such manner that one side of each tube is in contact with a coil or row of pipesiu the congealer.

One object of my invention is the construction of a congealer consisting of one or more rows ortlat coils of pipe, which are placed in an upright position in the water to be frozen and supported upon posts, or their equivalent,

in such manner that the sides-top and bottom edges-:1nd one end of the blocks of ice which are formed upon the congealer are not in contact with any solid substance.

Another object of my invention is the combination, with the congealer of an ice-inachine which is immersed in the water to be frozen, of an agitator placed in the water and below the congealer, where it can be operated efficiently, and will also permit free access at all times vto the congeale'r or blocks of ice above it.

A further object of my invention is a process for dctaching the ice' from thecongealer without having to first loosen-the same by heat, which process consists in freezing tubes closed at one end into the block of ice along" the line of the congealerpipes, removing'the tubes after the block of ice has attained'sufficient thickness, and then splitting the iceV through the line of holes thus formed; and, also, a method for loosening the above-mentioned partingtubes, previous to drawing them out from the ice, b v means ot' a stream ot' water above the freezing temperature, which is introduced into these parting-tubes, near their closed ends, through a smaller tube, which is attached to a hose and thrust inside the parting-tube, said stream of water iiowiug through 4the partingtube outside the above-mentioned inside tube and out at the open end of the parting-tube; and, also, a process for removing ice from the congealer of van ice-machine, which consists in making a line of holes in the ice along the line ofthe congealer and then splitting the block of ice through this line of holes.

My invention further consists in constructing the parting-tubes above mentioned with one dat side between two sharp ed gesand placing the at sides in Contact with the congealer; also, in the `.means employed to secure contact between the parting-tubes and congealer-pipes, when placed across said pipes-viz., by suspending the parting-tubes from one side of their center of gravity; also, in the Vemploymentof removable supports for the purpose of keeping the parting-tubes in proper position l tank.

until they are frozen fast to the con gealerpipes.

A further object of my invention is thecombination, with the tank of an ice-machine which contains the water to be frozen and an agitator for keeping the water in motion, of suitable receptacles for the solid impurities which are suspended in the water, said receptacles being placed in the eddies caused by the circulation of the water.

The freezing-tank A should be covered with plank while in use, as shown by the drawings, and the joist across the'top of the tank not only keep it from spreading, but afford a rest for the top planks, thus allowing them to be eut into short pieces, by which means access can be had to any part of the tank by removing only a small portion ofthe covering.

'lhe ends of the congealer-coils C pass through one end ofthe tank, and are connected on the outside of it with any appara-tus used for the purpose of circulating a refrigerant through the congealer. As the refrigerant is circulated the ice forms around the pipes until the adjacent rolls freeze together, when itwill form solid blocks, with the congealer-coils iuclosed in the center. The dotted lines `in the drawings show the outside of these blocks ot' ice when fully formed.

The water in the tank should be kept above the upper lines of pipe iu the congealer, and the lower lines of pipe must be placed a sufficient distance from the bottom andthe returnbends from the ends of the tank to prevent the ice-blocks, when offull size, from coming in Contact with either the ends or bottom of the Of course the ice will form around the top and bottom lilies of the coils where they pass through the tank and freeze fast toit; but if the subdivision of the blocks is commenced at the opposite end, (which should not be allowed to form within a few inches of the end of the tank,) the pieces can be easily removed, as they are separated from the main block, and these attachments will readily break loose when these last pieces are removed.

In practice there are several coils of pipe in one congealer, all in the same tank, (the annexed drawings show four of such coils,) and the ends of these coils are so connected by means of three-way cocks placed outside the tank that either one or more of them can be instantly thrown out of circuit, while the refrigerant is still allowed to circulate freely through the other coils.

When a coil is thrown out of circuit the ice can be taken ofi' from it at any time without interfering with the formation of ice on the coils which are still in circuit, although it should stand a few hours before it is broken into, in order that the surrounding water may equalize the temperature, when it will be less brittle.

It is neither necessary nor desirable that all the ice should be removed from a coil at one time, for the fully-formed blocks weigh one or more tons each, and as they are surrounded at all times by ice-water, there is less melted by taking the ice from the block only as it is sold than there would be by removing the whole block at once and storing it. After one block of ice is all disposed of the coil from which it was taken is again turned into circuit and another block which has been previously thrown ont of circuit is broken into.

The weighing-scales, hooks, &c., can be kept on top of the tank, for, as before mentioned, the cover of the tank is dividedv into several sections, and there is always room enough to handle and weigh the ice on the closed portion of the cover.

NVater is drawn into the tank from time to time as the ice is taken out, and it will be seen that the operations of making and selling ice from the same tank can be carried on simultaneously and continuously.

It' the ice is frozen faster than it is disposed of, it is only necessary to stop the engine which circulates the refrigerant when there is a surplus of ice in the tank, and, as the amount on hand can at any time be quickly ascertained, the engine can be started up again when necessary.

It will be observed by reference to the drawings that the posts B B, which support the congealer, are beveled from where the congealer-pipes pass through them to the center of each side, and they are not placed directly under the ]'oist to which they are attached, but on one side.

Y When the iee is taken from the congealer the block is first divided crosswise from top to bottom over the post B, which is next to the free end of the block. This division can be made with a saw, or by means of one of the parting-tubes c, suspended from the cross-joist, and a wedge. After making this cross-divis ion the tubes e e e e, which are between the post and the end of the tank, are removed from the block of ice, after heilig loosened by means of a stream ot' water introduced near theirlower ends through the pipef, which can be connected by means of a hose with the tank above the freezing-tank containing water direct from the well or other source of supply.l

Water at 600 or O Fahrenheit, when applied in this manner, will loosen one ofthe parting tubes in a few seconds, and as it flows from the open end of the parting tube into the freezing-tank, there to be frozen into ice, there is no ice wasted while thawing the tubes loose. After removing the parting-tubes long wedges are inserted in the holes which they leave, and a few blows on each wedge will split the section of ice which is over the wedges off from the main block on a line with one side of the coil or row of congealer-pipes on whiehit was formed. If there is left, as above specilied,a few inches of space between the free ends of the blocks of ice and the end of the tank, there will be sufficient room between the cross-joist and end of the tank for the detached section IOO Y IIO of ice-to pass through, and it can be readily 'lifted from thewater to the top ot thetank 'with ordinary ice-hooks.

After this section is disposed of the middle section on the same Y side of the block can be split offin-the same manner and pushed alongto the end of the tank and taken outv from the saine opening through which' the irst section was passed. The last section on the same side can then be taken out in the same manner, as it will readily "break oft' where it is frozen to the end of the tank when thewedges are driven. The line of bars a an, which is above the coil'of pipe from whichthe ice is being taken, should now be removed and the ice taken from the other side ofthe coil by sections, commencing, as before, at the free end of the block. The ice on this side of the coil is clinched between the congealer-pipes; but a wedge o two is easily driven through the ice next to the line of pipes, and the clinchers'break loose without much waste, and the few chips which are broken oft' remain in the tank and help to cool the feed-.

water as it is drawn into it. Occasionally the first side ot' the block does not 'split close to the line of the congealer-pipes. This seldom happens; but when it does it is not safe to take off the' other side by driving wedges 'through the solid ice next to the pipes; butin -utes with Water at 700 Fahrenheit, when a'p-g plied as above mentioned. Holes can be bored v in the same way for inserting the wedges used for splitting oit' the first side of the block, in c ase some of the parting-tubes have not been placed across the pipes before the block of ice has been formed; but as there will be no sharp angles in the holes next to the con gealer-pipes, as there is when the tubes have been employed, the line of cleavage will not be apt to follow so closely the line of the pipes. l

One-inch gas-pipe is probably the best size for the congealer, and the posts B B, for sup- 'porting it, should not'be over four or five feet apart. Therefore, it' the congealer-coils are over fifteen feet long, more than two posts, as are shown in the drawings, will be required for each coil.

1f the partin g-tubesare constructed as shown in the drawings and average two and onefourth inches wide on the flat side, it will not be necessary to place them nearer than one foot from each other along the line of con# gealer-pipes. i

It is a well-known fact among icemanufacturers that rapid freezing in still water will cause the ice vso formed to be white and porous; ibut if the surface of a block of ice while freezing `is in contact with water'in motion, the minute bubbles of air or gas which are constantly liberated from the freezing water cannot adhere to the surface of the ice, and convsequentlyice so formed willbe solid'and clear;

and it makes no difference whether the motion of the water over the surface of the ice is reciprocatin g or always in one direction, the only thing necessary being to prevent these minute air or gas bubbles from adhering to one place onV the surface of the formi-n g ice until a lm of water freezes over them. n

The'benecial effect of keeping the waterin motion while freezing has been long known,

and agitators have been proposed in various forms to be immersed in the water to be frozen, the water being in a tank containing the congealers; but, so far as I know, theyhave hereltofore been placedV between the con gealers, and also between the blocks ot' ice which were formed upon the con gealers. ers of this class, or the frames around them, usually extend to the bottom of the tank. In practical use agitators so placed are liable to be frozen into the adjacent blocks of ice., and,

besides, they interfere materially with the operation of removing the ice from the congealer and tank. Their motion must be stopped, and it is usually necessary to remove each set of them from the tank when the adjacent ice is taken from the congealer.

One object of my iuvention,as before stated, is to secure a thorough agitation by means of an agitator which is immersed in the water to be frozen and placed entirely below the con- Y gealer and the blocks of ice which are formed upon it. When so situated it can be operated at all -times without interfering with the removal ofthe ice'from the congealer and tank, and, besides, only one agitator is `needed for each tank, no matter how many blocks of ice are formed in it; and I do not claim broadly an agitator placed in atank containing the congealer and the water to be frozen, but only when it is used in combination with a congealer which does not extend to the bottom of the tank, and it is placedbelow the con gealer, as above described. Y

This agitator can be constructed and operated in various ways and have either a ro- In fact, congeal- IOO IIC

taryor reciprocating motion; but I prefer simple revolving blades attached to aperpendicular shaft, as is shown in the drawings, on account of efficiency,convenience,and economy, both inconstruction and the power required to operate it.-

I am aware that it has been proposed to subdivide large blocks of ice by freezing hat tubes into them, closed at the lower end, and after ward loosening these tubes by 'filling them with water above freezing temperature, removing them, and finally splitting the block through the holes thus formed 3 but, so far as I know, it has always beenproposed to divide the block by means of such tubes in a direction perpendieular to the surface of the congealer, and not along the line ofthe congealer, as is above described. Neither is it practicable in all cases to till such tubes with water while in practical use without some special arrangement for introducing it, for water often gets into these parting-tubes from the freezing-tank while the ice is forming, either through the open top or byleakage,the result being that the lower ends of the tubes become filled with ice to a greater or less depth, and it is evident that boiling water even would` not melt this ice if it were simply poured into the top of the tubes; lbut if an inside tube is employed, in the manner herein specitied,tl1ey can be melted loose from the ice in which they are inclosed by means otI water which is but little above freezing temperature, even it' they are entirelyY filled with ice.

I am also aware that it has been proposed to form icc in a congealerconsisting of a naked coil of pipe supported upon posts and immersed in the water to be frozen, and to remove the ice thus formed from the congealer by meansof aseriesof wedges which are frozen into the block between the congealer-pipes and parallel with them; but it is not practicable to remove the ice from this form of congealer by the means proposed, for, in the first place, the lower edge ot' the block is attached to a solid support, which will interfere with the separation ofthe two port-ions of the block after it is divided; and, secondly, as the wedges are frozen fast in the ice on all sides, they are practically only a portion ot' theY mass, and when poweris applied to force them ahead the ice will not split into two parts, but will break in every direction.

Solid ice has a grain running perpendicular to the surface from which it has been frozen, and therefore with eongealers having a flat surface it would be difficult to separate the ice from the congealer by employing wedges, un-y less it was first loosened by heat, forthe whole block would have to be divided across the grain. 1f, however, the eongealeris composed of pipes only, without any metallic connection between them, that portion of the block of lee which is between the pipes has the grain running with the line ot' pipes, and therefore it' a line of holes is made along the line of a congealer composed of a roworeoil of' pipes only, and wedges are driven into these holes, the line of cleavage will practically follow theline of the congealer, whether the holes are made and the wedges driven between and parallelI with the pipes or across and in contact with the sides ot the pipes, even if the holes are considerably farther apart than the thickness of the ice over the wedges.

NVhen a ongealer ot' the above-mentioned construction is immersed in the water to be frozen it will readily be seen that the most cfficient and economical manner of arranging the congealer and parting-tubes for forming a line of holes is the one which is shown in the annexed drawings and herein described-viz., horizontal congealer-pipes in vertical rows or coils, with the parting-tubes suspended vertically across and in contact with the rows or coils of congealer-pipes.

The parting-tubes c can be made in various forms; but to insure the division ofthe iceblock close to the line of congealer-pipes on which itis formed they should be made, as above specified, with a fiat side between two sharp edges, the fiatside being placed next to the line of the congealer-pipes. The best manner for constructing these flat-sided tubes is byjoining a fiat piece of sheetlnetal the length and breadth of the tube to an arc-shaped piece otl Vthe same length by means of flat seams along the edges,'as is shown in Fig. 3. Both the flat and arc-shaped pieces should be cut tapering, so as to make the tubes smaller at the closed than at the open end. When these parting-tubes are placed in position across a row ot' congealer-pil'ies they are suspended from one side of their centerof gravity, as before described, by which means the weight ot' the tubes will keep them in position until fastened by ice formed on the congealer-pipes.

\Vhile placing a row ot' parting-tubesin p0- sition, and until they are fastened, as above mentioned,it will be necessary to stop the m0- tion ot' the agitator; otherwise the motion of' the water in the tank would throw the tubes out of place. The timeconsumed,however, for one man to place a row of parting-tubes across a row of congealer-pipes twelve to eighteen feet long, turn the eongealer-pipes in circuit, and have sutiieient ice formed to fasten the tubes in position need not be over fifteen or twenty minutes, and during that time there will be little or no white ice deposited upon the other blocks which are forming in the same tank.

IOO

Ot' course the parting-tubes can be rigidly atta'ched to the supporting-bars, it' required, and

`the agitator kept constantly in motion; but I prefer supporting them in the manner above described.

As the supporting-bars a a a would interfere with removing the ice, they should be attached to the tank by means ot' recesses in the joist and ends of the tank, as shown in the drawings, or by any other means which will allow them to be removed after the partingtubes are withdrawn.

As nearly all the water which can be ob tained for making ice contains lime, and sometimes salt and other solid matter, both in solution and suspension, which matter is not taken up by the ice, means must be employed to prevent the water which remains in the tank from becoming too highly charged with these impurities. rlhis object can be attainedn by occasionally emptying and cleaning out the tank; but this would interfere with continuous operation, and therefore it is preferable to draw off once in two or three days, or

oftener, a small portion of the water from the tank and fill up with fresh water. This will IIO get rid of the soluble impurities, and the solid ymatter which is held in suspension will be caught inthe receptacles O, these receptacles being situated across the 'bottom of `the ends of the tank, or in any other position Where they will bev in the eddies caused by the circulation ot' the water in the tank.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is` y 1. A congealer for an ice-machine, consisting of one or more iat coils or rows of pipe attached to and supported by posts and placed in an upright position in a tank containing the water'to be frozen, when so constructed and arranged that the blocks of ice which are formed upon'it will be held in position by the A posts which support the congealer, and will not come in contact with the tank or any other support, except at one end of the blocks, substantia-lly as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the congealer Vof an ice-machine which is placed in a tank containing thewater to be frozen, but does not 5 of ice along the line of holes left by said tubes.

4. The method 'herein described for loosening the parting-tubes previous to drawing them from the ice, which consists in lpushing a smaller tube inside the same and introducing a stream of water which is Iabove the freezing temperature through this inside tube into the line of the congealer, and then splitting the block of ice through this line of holes.

6; In combination with the congealer of an ice-machine, the yparting-tube e, made with one iat side between two sharp edges, the at side being in contact with the con gealer.

. 7. The method herein described for securing contact 'between the parting-tubes and congealer, which consists in suspending the parti ing-tubes from a point on one side ot' the center ot' gravity.

8. In combination with the congealer ot' an ice-machine and a row ot' parting-tubes placed along the line of said congealer, removable supports for the parting-tubes, substantially as herein described.

9. The combination, with the tank ot' anicemachine which contains the water to be frozen and an agitator for keeping the water in motion, of suitable receptacles for catching the solid impurities which are suspended in the water, substantially as described.

SAML. D. LOUNT.

Witnesses:

WM. B. LoUN'r, MORRIS AsHER. 

